Pollokshaws Bridges

Glasgow City Archives, Department of Architectural and Civic Design

Road bridge and railway viaduct over the River Cart, photographed in 1957 from Pollokshaws Road near Pollokshaws West station. The Estate (gifted to the city in 1967 to become Pollok Park) lies beyond the viaduct. This is one of a series of photographs taken by Glasgow Corporation's Architectural and Planning Department prior to the wholesale redevelopment of Pollokshaws in the 1960s.

The road bridge on Pollokshaws Road dates from 1798. It was widened to its present size in 1930, a tricky operation which involved constructing a temporary track and overhead power lines to keep the trams running. The granite balustrades top a two-span reinforced concrete girder bridge.

The Pollokshaws Viaduct was constructed to carry the Glasgow, Barrhead & Neilston Direct Railway, which opened in 1848. Two of the four spans of the masonry viaduct are shown, the other two being a relief arch and one over a minor road. Sir John Maxwell and other local gentry were partners in the company, which was absorbed by the Caledonian Railway Co in 1851.

Reference: Glasgow City Archives, AP9/7/28/21

Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning